Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District and the Indianapolis community celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Indianapolis North Levee System in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 21, 2024.
The event celebrates the accreditation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), making the levee system officially part of the geographical record.
“This project began almost 30 years ago with a feasibility study in 1995,” said Louisville District Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Guillermo Guandique. “It is an incredible project that effectively reduces the flood risk for over 5,000 residents and 2,000 structures.”
The USACE Louisville District team managed the nearly $54.6 million Indianapolis North Flood Risk Management Project, which began construction in 2002, and will continue to provide oversight of operations and maintenance for the Federal levee system.
The levee system stretches along an approximately 3.5-mile reach of the White River consisting of earthen levees and floodwalls broken into three sections – Warfleigh, South Warfleigh and Broad Ripple – and was achieved through partnership and collaboration with Indianapolis Department of Public Works, Butler University and Friends of the White River.
“The Indy North Flood Risk Management Project team now considers the project complete,” said Jacob Sinkhorn, Louisville District project engineer. “The team overcame lots of obstacles over the years, diligent planning and cooperation between USACE, the local sponsor, and the local residents made the completion of this project possible.”